Carrie germain childe



(No Model.) C. OHILDB.

GYOLING SKIRT- Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

wi/tueooea Nrrnn CARRIE GERMAIN OHILDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CYCLING-SKIRT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N0. 579,471, dated March 23, 1897.

Application filed October 7, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARRIE GERMAIN OHILDE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirts for Cycle-Riders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed to a simple and effective means wherebyv the flying up of the skirt-front may be prevented and the skirt securely detained in a proper position when the wearer is riding, while at the same time the attachments used to hold down the skirtfront may be quickly partially detached, 'so as to avoid all embarrassment to the wearer when walking. I accomplish these objects by the use of certain attachments which I apply to the inside of the skirt and pass around the limbs of the wearer, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side View of a bicycle-skirt as it appears when the rider is seated with her feet upon the pedals, the right foot being raised and the left foot lowered. Fig. 2 is a front View of the same. Fig. 3 is a back view of the same with the train of the skirt cut away. Fig. 4 is a back View showing the limbs of the wearer equally extended.

Similar letters of reference designatesimilar parts in all the figures.

A is the skirt, which is preferably cut with the plain front 13 and the full-plaited back 0.

D is the seam, securing the facing to the inside of the skirt, and at or about the usual line of this scam I attach elastic bands E E, which I style detainers, provided with adjusting-buckles F F and with clasps G G, whereby they are detachabl y attached to the skirt. These bands pass behind the limbs of the wearer and are attached to the skirt at the points z y y z in such a manner as to allow freedom of movement of the limbs in the act of pedaling, a tension only being reached when one of the knees is advanced toward the farthest point. The points z z are outside of the wearers knees and near where the outer edges of the front breadth ordinarily come, and it is to a front breadth of such width that I hereinafter refer. As the detainers are gradually tightened the tension is brought from 2 along the detainer E to y, through the skirt from y to y, and along the Serial No. 608.112. (No model.)

other detainer E to z, and unusual tension is compensated for by the elasticity of the detainers. Thus the fullness of the sides and back of the skirt can be extended to permit a free forward movement of the limbs, but the fullness cannot pass around in front of the wearer, so as to allow the skirt to be blown up. When loose, the central part of the loop. is below the points of attachment of its ends to the skirt, and as the loops are tightened by the movement of the wearers limbs the central parts of the loops will tend to draw against the back of the limbs, producing a downward strain on the loop ends where attached to the skirt, and the retraction of the raised foot behind the vertical line of the knee will accentuate the tension, the stiffness of the skirt -facing causing it to stand out from the foot, as shown in Fig. 1. Simultaneously the other detainer will be tightened by the backward and downward movement of the other limb, around which it will hug, and in this position part of the downward and backward drag of the side folds of the skirt will be transmitted from 2 through the detainer E to y and will assist in holding down the front of the skirt in the direction of line y z.

By attaching the ends of the detainers at about equal distances from the bottom of the skirt the inner ends of the detainers are brought higher than their outer ends, causing their draw upon the front of the skirt to be downward and outward, as already explained.

I prefer to so attach the detainers that when drawn taut their outer ends shall grasp the skirt outside of and not back of the limbs, whereby the front of the skirt will be drawn evenly and snugly across from limb to limb and unsightly puckering where the detainers are attached avoided.

The front only of the skirt being restricted by the detainers, and that below the knees, permits the fullness from the sides of the skirt to yield to the movements of the knees and thighs of the wearer, so that there is no undue restriction or drag upon the upper parts of the limbs, and all the other portions of the skirt hang in their normal positions.

The desired tension of the detainers is ad justed by means of the buckles F F, and

when the wearer dismounts it requires but an instant to detach one end of each detainer, when they will hang" by their other ends concealed beneath the skirt and without impeding the movements ofthe wearer in any way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

As a new article of manufacture, the bicycle-skirt, herein described, comprising a skirt and a pair of bands, one thereof being attached, at one end, near each side of the front breadth, and at its other end near the middle of said breadth, the points of attachment being located about midway between the knees and bottom of the skirt, the bands, so attached, forming loops, normally loose, but tightening about the wearers limbs in pedaling, whereby the skirt-front is brought taut and held down smoothly and the back and sides are unrestricted, substantially as set forth.

CARRIE GERMAIN CHILDE. Witnesses:

WVM. D. NEILLEY, B. MoCABE.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 579,471, granted March 23, 1897,

upon the application of Carrie Germain Ohilde, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Cycling Skirts, an error appears in the printed specifications requiring the following correction, viz: On page 11, line 80, the reference letter 2 should be m;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that thg same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 4th day of May, A. D., 1897.

J NO. M. REYNOLDS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Oountersigned BENJ. BUTTERWORTH, I

' Commissioner of Patents. 

